When I Die
Motherlode
1969
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Genre
Not classifiedTheme
Not classifiedRelease year not established
Release year not establishedDate review open
A first-release date was not established in the available metadata.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
About Motherlode
Song-specific inspiration or recording background is not established for this entry. This sourced artist profile provides career context.
Motherlode was an Ontario group active around the end of the 1960s. Its instrumental lineup joined Steve Kennedy on saxophone, Ken Marco on guitar, William 'Smitty' Smith on keyboards and Wayne Stone on drums. When I Die brought the group to a wider audience and gave its album a title, before the original band's brief recording career ended.
Artist background sources
Apple Music - Motherlode artist biography
Read licensed biography specifically describing the Ontario group and When I Die. Reject conflicting page metadata claiming 1980 formation and hard rock; do not extend this biography to other groups named Motherlode. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-19. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Retained annual-list context
When I Die by Motherlode appears at number 71 in the reviewed U.S. year-end table for 1969. No reliable song-specific account of its inspiration was established in this review.
Annual-list context only; songwriting inspiration remains unestablished
Billboard year-end 1969 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Not classified - no adequate editorial basis in this pass
Billboard year-end 1969 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.